Gasket circular cutting instrument



July 17, 1956 E. R. MANSTORP 2,754,586

GASKET CIRCULAR CUTTING INSTRUMENT Filed Oct. 5, 1955 4 INVENTOR.

ERIC R. MANSTORP ATTORNEY United States Patent GASKET CIRCULAR CUTTINGINSTRUMENT Eric R. Manstorp, New York, N. Y.

Application October 5, 1955, Serial No. 538,710

4 Claims. (Cl. 30-300) This invention relates to cutters and cuttinginstruments for cutting sheets of various kinds of material such as maybe used for packings and gaskets, and particularly to a circular gasketcutter or cutting instrument.

The main object of my invention is to provide a special manuallyoperated instrument for cutting circles and rings, etc., of flat packingand gasket sheet material in such fashion as to make certain that theyare clean cut and circular.

Another object of my invention is to have such a cutting instrument ortool that is adjustable for cutting any one of a large range of sizes ofcircles and rings.

A further object of the invention is to have such a cutting tool whichmay be provided with a single point center or a crown center to avoidpiercing the material at the centre.

Still another object is to have a cutting tool of the characterdescribed which may be made with a single cutter arm or a double cutterarm equipment.

It is a practical object to have such a tool which may be firmly presseddown with one hand while the other hand is used for manipulating theinstrument.

It is, of course a definite object to have a cutting instrument asindicated which is simple to make and as simple to use and not likely toget out of order, in view of encouraging wide distribution on themarket.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will appear in greaterdetail as the specification proceeds.

In order to facilitate ready comprehension of this invention for aproper appreciation of the salient features thereof, the invention isillustrated on the accompanying drawing forming part hereof, and inwhich:

Figure 1 is an elevational view of a circular gasket cutter madeaccording to my invention and embodying the same in practical form;

Figure 2 is a similar view of a modification which embodies thepreferred form of my invention; and

Figure 3 is a fragmentary enlarged section of the lower portion of themain leg forming the center support of the cutter.

In these views, the same reference numerals indicate the same or likeparts and features.

When cutting gaskets in the form of disks, circles and rings, it isusually a problem to cut a perfect circle and to make a clean edge atthe periphery, and at the same time avoid piercing the center of thegasket, for the intermediate area is sometimes quite important.

Upon considering this problem, it has occurred to me that a gasketcutter should be available which is not only adjustable to out varioussizes of gaskets, but has a pressure handle and special features foradjusting it as well as auxiliary cutting means. As a result of suchconsideration, I have succeeded in producing a special gasket cutter forcutting circles, disks and rings and made along the lines alreadyindicated, and which will now be described in detail in the following.

Hence, in the practice of my invention, and referring again to thedrawing, the circular cutting instrument, genclamping or tighteningscrew 11 thereon to fix the bracket at any point along the bracket, thescrew extending through this slot and the bracket being preferablybifurcated so as to straddle the bracket with the screw preventing lossof said bracket. At the lower end, this bracket 10 is pivotallyconnected by a pin 12 to the upper end of a cutter leg 13 terminating atits lower end in a cutter 14 mounted in an insert device 15 having ashank 16 retained in the lower hollow end 17 of leg 13 by a set screw18. In addition, thecenter leg 7 has a transverse slot or aperture 19 inthe lower portion thereof, in which one end of an arcuate link 20 ispivoted by a pin 21, the link itself extending through a slot 22 incutter leg 13, while a set screw 23 in this leg 13 serves to fix thelink in any desired position of adjustment for the cutter leg 13; thecenter leg has a point center 24 at its extremity to form a compasscenter, as it were for the instrument.

This device may be adjusted for various diameters of disk, ring orcircle by releasing screw 23 and swinging leg 13 to the proper positionfor the selected size, when screw 23 is again tightened and the centerpoint 24 put into center and the cutter 14 placed down on the sheet tobe cut and the tool then rotated about center point 24 while the palm ofthe hand rests on handle 6. The circle, ring or disk will then be cutout.

In Figure 2 a modification appears which has the same plate 5, handle 6,slot 10, linlo20, as well as screws or rivets 8, 8. The center supportleg 7 resembles leg 7 and has a slot 19 with a pin 21 retaining the endof arcuate link 20 in this slot, the leg being secured by rivets orscrews 8, 8 to plate 5 as in Figure 1. The lower hollow end 30 of leg 7'is adapted to receive the shank 29 of a center support 31 having a crownof points or teeth 32 about a center point 33 and provided with a ball34 in a socket mounting 34 to allow limited swiveling in all directions.The shank is secured in place by a set screw 35, while the socket cover36 serves to retain the ball 34 forming the lower end of shank 29.

Upon plate 5 is mounted a bracket 25 having a set screw 11 for clampingit in place, this bracket at one side continuing downwards in the formof a cutter leg 26 having a slot 28 for arcuate link 20 and having a setscrew 37 for fixing this leg in attained position along the link, thecutter 27 being set in the lower extremity of this leg. In the upperportion of the leg 26 at its junction with bracket 25 is a pivotmounting 38 to which is pivotally connected the upper end of a secondcutter leg 13 having a lower slot 22 for link 20 and a set screw 23 forsetting this leg at any desired point along the link. The pivot pin 39in mounting 38 need not affect leg 26 but forms the pivot point forswinging leg 13' to desired position. At the lower end 17 it is hollowand carries the shank 16 of the cutter unit 15 provided with cutterblade 14 as in Figure 1 and the shank is retained by screw 23 engagingagainst the link as already described. Release of screw 23 allowsadjustment of outer or second leg 13 independently of the inner or firstleg 26 which is adjustable about the center of set screw 11 in bracket25 as well as along slot 10, at will.

If both cutter legs 26 and 13 are moved inwardly into more or less closerelation, both may be arranged to cut circles simultaneously, resultingin cutting rings, but if only one leg, for example inner leg 26 is inrange to cut,

Patented July 17, 1956 then: a disk will be cut. The center mounting orsupport 31 can readily be centered. properly without danger of cuttingthrough any material from which the circular gaskets are intended to becut. Solid circles and disks as well as rings of variouswidths anddiametersmay thus be cut. from gasket sheet material, as the sizes aremerely a matter of. adjustment or" either or both cutter legs along thearcuate link and setting. them by the set screws.

Manifestly, variations may be resorted to, and parts and. features maybe modified or used without others within the scope of the appendedclaims.

Having now fully described my invention, 1 claim:

1. A circular gasket cutter of the. character described,

including. a. plate. provided with a hand pressure handle.

and having a transverse slot in the lower portion thereof, a fixedcenter support leg rigidly secured to one side of the plate below thepressure handle and having a center point devicev at the lower endthereof, a bracket mounted upon the lower portion of the plate andhaving a clamping screw therein extending through said slot foradjustably securing the bracket in various positions upon said platealong said slot at will, a. depending cutter leg connected at the upperend thereof to the bracket and having a cutter at the lower end, a linkpivotally connected at one end to an intermediate portion of the centersupport :2 leg, the cutter leg having a transverse slot in anintermediate portion thereof through which said link extends, and anadjustable set screw in said cutter leg for engaging with said linkwithin said slot in said cutter leg.

2. A circular gasket cutter according to claim 1, wherein the centerpoint device at the lower end of the center support leg includes acenter support having a crown of points at the lower end with a centerpoint within said crown and a ball and socket joint above with a shankconnected thereto, the lower end of said center support leg being hollowfor receiving said shank, and a set screw for retaining said shank inplace.

3. A gasket cutter according to claim 1, wherein said bracket extendsdownwardly in the form of a second cutter leg integral therewith, saidsecond leg being adjustably mounted on said link, said second legserving also as a pivot for said first mentioned cutter leg.

4. The cutter of claim 1 wherein said link is arcuate in outline.

References Cited in the file of this patent FOREIGN PATENTS 273,105Great Britain June 30, 1927

